Reincarnation of Forgotten Memories
by we are Romantic
Summary: When Rukia is mysteriously reincarnated after a tragic death, she's forgotten everything about her life as a shinigami and her life with Ichigo. As Ichigo tries to revive Rukia's memories, they find out whether their love was true enough. ichiruki
1. Introduction to My Life

I am running. Running as fast as my legs can take me. A strange, white sword is in my hands. I glance down. I seem to be wearing some strange black robe. I feel pain in my side. I am bleeding from a wound. I see two men fighting in the distance. A powerful wave of some magic hits me forcefully. I fall to the ground, breathing heavily. I get up again, now struggling, running towards these two men. One is wearing a mask, though I cannot see his face clearly. The other is moving to fast for me to catch up. I keep running towards them.

I feel the need to take action. A need to fight. And win.

I call someone's name. The man in the mask looks over, and shouts something back. But before the words could reach my ears, he is struck, straight through the heart by the other man. Blood is everywhere. I hear a shriek leave my lips, and I too, fall to the ground, uncontrollable tears falling onto my pale cheeks. It is my entire fault, it is all my fault.

I hear someone calling my name, but I pay no heed. I killed that man. It was my fault. "I love you, I love you, I loved you. I loved you." I whisper these words, now hysterical. I wish to run to the man, and be by his side. But my wound makes me unable to move. I feel numb. I have no choice, now. My numb hand grips my sword and plunges it within me.

"I love you. I loved you."

All fades to black.

The last words I hear every time begin to echo within the darkness.

"Don't die, don't die. Please, do not die. I love you, I love you. It was all an illusion, a fake… Please, I love you."

I love you.

--

I wake up, gasping for breath. My alarm clock just went off, the incessant beeping ceases as my hand slaps the "off" button. Another nightmare. Yet again.

The oddest thing is that I cannot make any sense of it. I have the same dream almost every night. I probably just read too many action mangas and stuff. Or maybe not. I always feel as though something is wrong about me.

Name: Rukia Takayuki.

Age: 16

Hair color: Black

Eye color: Ice blue

Occupation: Student at the Karakura High School. Second year.

Today is my first day of school this year. I hope it turns out well.

--

My alarm goes off, and I turn it off, sitting up and yawning due to another sleepless night.

I can't sleep. I can't sleep at all. It's been a month now, without Rukia. She's been dead for a month. I miss her. I want her back. She'll never come back and it's all my fault. I couldn't protect her. I couldn't save her. The realization happens everyday, the fact that she's not here. That she's dead.

Maybe if I hadn't even met her in the first place, she would be perfectly fine. Perfectly alive.

Name: Ichigo Kurosaki.

Age: 17

Hair color: Orange

Eye color: Brown

Occupation: Student at the Karakura High School. Third year. Substitute Shinigami/Vizard.

Today is the first day of my third year in high school. My first day in school with Rukia being dead.

--

"Rukia!" I turn around and see my best friend, Arisa.

"Hey, Arisa-chan." I give her a smile and loop my arm in hers. "Another year, eh?"

"Yup."

We leave for class and listen to the morning announcements.

"Welcome and good morning students! I hope your summer didn't turn your brains into mush…"

--

"… Because that just would not be good!"

I blink and look out the window. I feel like my heart's turned into mush.

The announcements continue to babble on about pointless stupid stuff.

"God, I just want this day to end," I mutter to myself.

--

"Would Ichigo Kurosaki please come to the office? He has some items to receive. And this concludes this morning's announcements!" The class resumed back into the normal class chatter.

"Ichigo Kurosaki? I hear he's pretty hott," Arisa whispers to me.

"Oh really? Well he's a year older than us, so I don't think he'd notice a bunch of sophomores."

"Yeah…" Arisa sighs.

Somehow, the name Ichigo Kurosaki sounds nice to me. I repeat his name in my mind a few times. A sudden image of him holding my hand and kissing me comes to my mind. I suddenly feel very hot and dizzy.

"Rukia, you okay? You don't look very good." Arisa puts her hand on my arm, making me flinch.

"A-Ah y-yeah I'm fine. I just…" I trail off, and Arisa gives me a funny look. "It's just the hot weather." I throw her a smile to reassure her. She smiles back.

"Okay, just take it easy!"

/ later that day /

"Yes, lunchtime! I am starved," Arisa declares, looping her arm through mine again and forcing me to trot alongside her to the courtyard.

"Wait, Arisa-chan… Only juniors sit there." I try to slow down, but she speeds up.

"So? Come on, it'll be fun with older kids around!" I roll my eyes but follow her anyways. We choose a nice shady spot by the trees, pulling out our home lunches and munching on them while talking about our day. I still feel a bit woozy from this morning. There is a crowd of juniors heading our way. "Psst! Rukia, look! It's the juniors… do you think they'll talk to us?"

"I have no idea," I murmur, taking a sip of my apple juice box. The juice is sweet tasting in my mouth, and I wonder why I suddenly enjoy drinking juice from a paper box so much. I stare down at the little container in my hand, and another vision came flitting across my mind.

"_Open my juice box!"_

"_No, do it yourself!" The man from my dreams replies angrily._

"_Please?" I find myself holding the juice box in front of his face. He has soft brown eyes and flaming orange hair. I give him a sweet smile. "For me?"_

_He reluctantly grabs the juice box and sticks the straw in. "There."_

"_Thank you," I give him a light kiss on the cheek. "Thank you for everything."_

_--_

"Dude, why are sophomores sitting in our lunch spot?" Keigo practically shrieks. I pay no heed, still distracted about Rukia. A few months ago, we would've been eating lunch happily. With Rukia.

"Whatever," I say scratching my head and not looking at the sophomores. "Let's find another spot somewhere near there."

"Good idea, Kurosaki-kun!" Inoue cheers a little too happily. She wants to cheer me up. It hasn't been working.

We keep walking, and I see one sophomore has dark hair and the other with platinum blond hair. The blond one is talking and the other one is looking down at a juice box in her hand. I can't see her face, and suddenly I'm curious about her. We get closer, and the rest of my friends are chatting, looking for a different spot to sit down at. The dark haired girl reminds me of Rukia. A lot.

She has the same body form, perhaps this girl is even smaller. I walk past the girl, intently staring at her, when she suddenly looks up at me.

Oh my fucking god, it's Rukia.

--

A tear rolls down my cheek at the moment I look up at a guy with brown eyes and orange hair. Odd how I noticed his eyes and then his hair. I see Ichigo. The man from my dreams. The man in my vague memories. Who is he? Why is he everywhere at once for me? Why do I feel such strong emotions for this guy?

Ichigo stares down at me, his eyes are lit up with hope and pure happiness. Why is he looking at me like that? As if he loves me? He may have loved my in my dreams, but certainly not in real life. We don't know each other, right?

"Rukia," Ichigo breathes, and he suddenly grabs my shoulders, lifts me up, and kisses me. From the sudden movement, I do not kiss back. Arisa is sitting there absolutely speechless. Ichigo lets go of me from my lack of reaction. "Rukia, what's wrong?" I look back at him, utterly confused with mixed emotions. I feel like I've known this guy for my whole life, and yet he is a stranger. He searches my eyes and he looks as if he is in pain. "Your eyes, what happened to your eyes? Why are they blue?"

"M-my w-what? W-Why a-are you h-here?" I stutter, still gripping my now empty juice box.

"Rukia, it's me. Ichigo," he stares anxiously at me, and I see the rest of his friends are staring at me too, with a mix of confusion and surprise. "Rukia, don't you remember me?" I stare back at him, suddenly at a loss for words. I remember you, oh yes I do. But at the same time, I don't. Who are you, Ichigo Kurosaki? Why do you look at me with such eyes? "Is this some joke? Do you not remember me? And why, why are you looking at me like that?"

I have nothing say. I suddenly feel numb again. Just like the way I feel in my dreams. It scares me, and I feel like crying. I start to cry, which then turns into sobs, and I feel Ichigo's arms wrap around me. The gesture is unfamiliar to me, but his warmth, his body against mine feels so natural. I cry harder. Ichigo, can you help me? Can you tell me who you are? Can you tell me who I am?

--

author's note: I didn't want to start I new chapter, but I felt as though I should. Don't worry if you are confused now, the answers shall be revealed in the next chapters!

--

--


	2. Action

**author's note: **yes, i am back! sorry for the wait. i just remembered that i was in the middle of writing this. please, look forward to more chapters much more frequently! [ i also apologize for all the mistakes here... i never got a chance to read it over well.]

* * *

_CHAPITRE DEUX_

*ACTION_*  
_

She seems so small. So fragile and… lost. She's in my room now, and still sniffling. I can't help but just stare at her. I'm sitting in my desk chair, and just watching her.

Still expecting her to just jump up, laugh maniacally and say, "ICHIGO! JUST KIDDING!" And then she'd run over, wrap her small arms around me and give me a kiss on the cheek.

Everyone seemed so confused when I carried a sobbing girl off the school campus. Inoue tried to follow, but I noticed that Ishida put his hand on her shoulder and shake his head. Hell, I'm just as confused as the rest of them.

Why are her eyes blue?

Why doesn't she remember me?

What happened to her after she died?

Did she even really die?

"I-I'm so sorry… I just can't… I don't know…" Rukia sniffles as she rubs her hands across her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"No… it's okay," I reassure her quietly. I get up from my chair and sit next her on the bed. I wrap my arms around her, and whisper, "It's okay."

She pulls away, and with those strange, ice blue eyes she looks straight at me. "Is everything really okay? I feel like… something is wrong with me. Who am I to you, Ichigo? Who am I?"

I sat motionless next to her and turned my face away.

"…I don't really know."

Suddenly she grabs my hands, and looks hopefully at me. "Are you sure? Are you really sure you don't know who I am? You called my name, and asked me why I don't remember you. Why would I remember you? I don't think we've met before."

"But, we have, Rukia."

"How? When?"

"I don't know what happened to you, but you and I used to be… friends," I cringe at the inaccurate word to describe what our relationship was. "If I told you everything… you'd think I was crazy. You'd think I was absolutely psycho. I don't think you can handle the real truth right now." Her small, pale hands grip mine.

"But I can! I swear, Ichigo, I can! Tell me. Please," her eyes begin to fill with tears again. "I need to know who I am!" She starts to sob and I can't help but give her another hug. She doesn't pull away this time.

"Listen, Rukia," I say softly. "We're gonna go see a friend of mine about this situation, okay?" I see her nod and sniffle again. It's weird seeing her cry. Anyhow, I shook my head, grabbed her hand and led her to the one man who would know what to do.

***

"Uh, hey there, Urahara-san." I stood there awkwardly next to Rukia. I'm still holding her hand. The goofy guy just peeks through a crack in the sliding door and then rips the whole door open.

"RUUUUUUUUUUUUUUKIA! How are you my dear?" He smiles creepily behind a fan and tips his hat further down his face. I feel Rukia tighten her grip.

"How does he know my name?" Rukia whispers fearfully.

"He's an old friend," I murmur, slightly annoyed by the fact that Urahara isn't even phased by the fact Rukia is alive. He snaps his fan shut and strokes his chin.

"Ah, sorry I forgot to shave today… Anyhow, come on in! I see we have some things to discuss…" He walks back into his house without looking back. I start to walk but I feel Rukia resisting.

"Shh… its okay, I swear nothing will happen," I assure her. She nods slightly and follows behind me.

***

I drag my feet as I walk into this strange home. The man is wearing sandals and strutting around with a cane. Who is he? And why does he know my name??

"So, Rukia, how are you?" I jump, startled by sudden question addressed to me.

"I'm… okay."

"Oh, I forgot introductions. I'm Urahara Kisuke. I am the proud owner of this shop!" I look around and see a bunch of random items. We sit down at a round table and he pours some tea. Ichigo stands at the door. "And you, my dear," he said pointing his cane at me. "Are Rukia Kuchiki!"

"Er, no. My name is Rukia Hiyashi." I frown at him, wondering why "Kuchiki" sounds so familiar to me.

"Oh, that's a lovely last name. So how about we start with a questionnaire to get a good idea of how you've been."

"Um… okay."

"How old are you?"

"Sixteen," I say uneasily.

"Where are you from?"

"Karakura Town."

"How long have you lived here for?"

"My whole life."

"Do you have a family?"

"Yes; a mother and a father."

"No siblings?"

"No."

"Are you absolutely sure?"

"Um, yes." I frown at the question. I would of course know if I had a brother or sister around.

"Have you ever seen me before? Do you remember ever meeting me?"

"No, I don't."

"How about Ichigo-kun here? Have you seen him before now?"

"No… wait, yes. Well I'm not sure," I say uncomfortably.

"Hmm… why is that?"

"I don't think I've met him in person," I turn away from Ichigo's earnest eyes and blush. "But I dream about him and I remember all these things that have to do with him." I see him straighten his posture from the corner of my eye.

"What kind of things?"

"Erm… well… I… he…" I mumble, blushing even more. _How could I confess to all those imagined kisses and those moments when I see him in my dreams?_

"Ichigo," I hear Urahara-san call out. "I think she wants you to leave the room." I whip my head up to look at him. Ichigo looks bewildered.

"What?"

"Leave , please. Can't you see you're making her uncomfortable?" Urahara whips out his fan again and fans the air around Ichigo. I see him open his mouth to protest, but he is quickly shooed out by some burly man with a mustache and glasses who came out of nowhere. The door slides quickly behind a struggling Ichigo. "Ah, now, we may continue. And Rukia, please don't feel afraid to tell me things. I know," he leans closer to my face. "That you are trying to find yourself right now. The more you tell me, the more I maybe able to help you."

"How?" I whisper.

"Hmm… well I'm not sure. But let's get started so that I may figure out how." He smiles genuinely and pats my hand. "So, what kind of dreams are these?"

***

I'm standing dejectedly outside that sliding door. I can't hear a thing. Plus that guy with the stache and the glasses is just eyeing me down. It's uncomfortable. I sigh and sit down. No choice but to just sit and wait.

…

After what seems like hours, the sliding door finally opens and Urahara is standing there, smiling behind his fan. "Ah, Ichigo!"

I stand up quickly and see Rukia standing behind him. I look at her face and see no signs of distress. "So?"

"So, what?"

"I'm talking about if you've found out exactly what happened to Rukia."

"Oh! Well, it's getting a little late. How about you drop Rukia off at home, first? Her parents must be worried sick!" Urahara turns around and pats Rukia on the head. I can't help but think that if the real Rukia was here, she'd never let him do that. She'd probably kick his ass. Or try to. "And then, when you come back, I will tell you of the situation."

"But, Urahara-san, I wish to know the situation!" I hear Rukia quip behind him. She steps forward and looks at him earnestly. "Please, Urahara-san!"

"I'm sorry, Rukia. But you need to go home. Once I have sorted everything out, I promise I will notify you the moment it happens." Rukia sighs and looks at me.

"Let's go, then," she says glumly.

I quietly take her hand and lead her out. I nod thanks to Urahara and step out into the setting sunlight. "Rukia, where do you live?"

"Not far from here. Take a left at the end of the block," she says softly. We didn't speak for most of the walk. As we entered a quaint neighborhood, she stopped in front of a normal looking house. "This is it."

"Oh, okay. Take care, Rukia." I let go of her hand.

"Okay." I begin to turn and walk away. "Wait!" I stop walking.

"Rukia?" I ask, looking over my shoulder.

"I'm sorry." She's standing with her head bowed.

"Don't be. It's not your fault." She looks up at me and makes a sad smile.

"I just want you to be happy." I stop breathing at her words.

"I… want you to be happy too." Looking at her face, I just want to kiss her. I just want to hold her and tell her that I'll never lose her again. And that I love her. God, do I love her.

"Thank you, Ichigo. Goodnight." She runs quickly up to her house and closes the door behind her.

I stand there, alone, looking up at her house.

"I love you, Rukia," I whisper. I turn and head back to Urahara's place.

* * *

**please review!**


	3. Promise

**author's note: **sorry about this short chapter... i just felt like it needed to be on its own in order to answer some questions. this story is in its very early stages, and before i get to the REAL drama, there needs to be explanation. :D anyhow, i'll be on vacation for THREE WEEKS which is PLENTY of time to write. so please, look forward to more.

_Ichi-Ruki4Eva: _wow i see that complete inaccuracy. im not sure how to change the first chapter at this point, but hiyashi shall be her last name for the rest of the chapters!

_Black Sun Upon An Icy Sky: _"hiyashi" is the name of a samurai clan -- one of the four main houses during the edo period. it literally means "woods".

thanks for the reviews, everyone!

* * *

_CHAPITRE TROIS_

* PROMISE ME *

"It appears that Rukia has indeed lost her memories," Urahara states, his hands tapping the round table. I nod. Of course, I already know this.

"And?"

"Her soul has been 'rejuvenated'."

"Rejuvenated?"

"Humans typically call this 'reincarnation'. Soul Society created this method thousands of years ago, by some very ambitious scientists. They slaved their whole lives to find a method for reincarnation. Rukia is a very lucky soul, to be reincarnated. Especially into this particular time and place."

"What do you mean by this time and place?"

"When souls are reincarnated, it's mean to be as a complete wipeout of their previous lives… a clean slate. Rejuvenating a soul is essentially creating a new soul. However, in Rukia's case, it seems as though her soul is not 'new'. Her soul seems to be her old soul, but it has been tampered with. Censored, so to say. Her soul must have been revived and then reprogrammed to forget her previous life. However, coming back here isn't forgetting her previous life, is it? Someone very powerful must have been able to pull some strings to get her here." I nod again, wondering who would save Rukia like that.

"What is the purpose of rejuvenating a soul? Or censoring it? Why let only some of them live a third life?"

"Hmmm… in my opinion, it's for those who were judged unfairly. Soul Society makes its mistakes, I'm sure you know. If a person was judged inaccurately and killed, they could perhaps rejuvenate them. It's only for very, _very_ high exceptions. But rejuvenation is not easy, and it takes a tremendous amount of power. It also must be done quickly. But for Rukia, someone must have paid a very high price in order to rejuvenate her soul."

I blink and stare at the teacup in front of me. "What price?"

"Well, I'm not sure. But the cost for saving a life could indeed be another life."

"But was her life really saved? Did she really die?"

"I don't think I know the answer to that. No one can really say at this point, right? No one can answer what exactly happened to Rukia after the incident."

"Oh, I see. So her mind is basically a clean slate, isn't it? She has no memories of any of us, really."

"Actually…" Urahara drawls out. I look up earnestly. "She appears to have some very small recollection of YOU, Ichigo."

"Of me?"

"Yes, she dreams constantly and she experiences déjà vu with you almost every time you look at her."

"So, is there still a chance I'll be able to get her back?"

"Yes, but—" I interrupt Urahara with a victory punch in the air. I would finally get Rukia back… this was another chance for her and me. Another chance for us to love each other. "ICHIGO." I snap out of it and look at Urahara with wide eyes. He's never raised his voice like that before.

"Erm, yes?" I reply sheepishly.

"Like I was saying, there is a chance that you may be able to get her back. However, the chance is slim. Very slim. You may get her to remember SOME things, but not everything. The Rukia you see here today is definitely not the Rukia you knew from a month ago. There is the possibility that you may never get her to remember, and those memories are lost, as they were meant to be."

"So all I have to do is just gain her memories back, little by little."

"Yes, I suppose so. But keep in mind, you may fail."

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"I promise you, I will get her to remember. I swear to Rukia that I will get her back," I state with all seriousness, staring Urahara straight in the eyes. He smiles and whips out his fan again.

"Ah, there is the Ichigo that I remember from so long ago," he murmured. I raise my eyebrows. "Good luck, Ichigo! I am counting on you!" The fan snaps shut yet again and he stands. "Now, time for sleep, ne?" I stand as well and I bow.

"Thank you, Urahara-san."

"Ah, you're welcome. Goodnight."

I leave, jamming my hands into my pockets. The moon is out tonight. It gives the whole town a white glow, and looking up at the stars, I see them shining, full with promise.

* * *

I'm looking up at the stars, and pull the blankets tighter around me. Today was an interesting day. I remember all the questions Urahara-san asked me:

"_What kind of memories did you have as a child?" _When I told him my memories, they all felt mechanic. As though those memories weren't mine. My parents consoling me after I tripped over my foot when I was seven. Getting my first CD player at age twelve. This house that I live in… it doesn't feel like my home anymore. Even my own parents. They don't feel as though they were always my parents. Did I ever have parents? I furrow my eyebrows and shut my eyes tight; images of Ichigo flicker past.

Ichigo, promise me you'll find out who I am.

* * *

**please review!**


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